The linear polarization constant of R n

Summary He present work deals with estimations of the n-th linear polarization constant c(H)_n of an n-dimensional real Hilbert space H. We provide some new lower bounds on the value of sup_║y║=1 │1,y> ... n,y>│, where x₁, ... ,x_n are unit vectors in H. In particular, the results improve an earlier estimate of Marcus. However, the intriguing conjecture c(H) _n= n^n/2 remains open.     

The Downs-Thomson Paradox: Existence, Uniqueness and Stability of User Equilibria

Consider a network where two routes are available for users wishing to travel from a source to a destination. On one route (which could be viewed as private transport) service slows as traffic increases. On the other (which could be viewed as public transport) the service frequency increases with demand. The Downs-Thomson paradox occurs when improvements in service produce an overall decline in performance as user equilibria adjust. Using the model proposed by Calvert [10], with a ⋅|M|1 queue corresponding to the private transport route, and a bulk-service infinite server queue modelling the public transport route, we give a complete analysis of this system in the setting of probabilistic routing. We obtain the user equilibria (which are not always unique), and determine their stability.AMS subject classification: 60K30, 90B15, 90B20, 91A10, 91A13This revised version was published online in June 2005 with corrected coverdate     

Monoesterification of styrene–maleic anhydride copolymers with alcohols in ethyl benzene: Catalysis and kinetics

A kinetic investigation on the monoesterification reaction of the maleic anhydride residue (MA) in styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers with aliphatic alcohols was carried out in ethyl benzene solution. By comparison to classic catalysts such as tributylamine (TBA) and pyridine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine (4DMAP) is by far the most effective catalyst for this reaction. While both general base and nucleophilic mechanisms contribute to the reaction catalyzed by TBA or pyridine, a nucleophilic mechanism prevails with 4DMAP. This reaction is reversible, and its chemical equilibrium constant decreases significantly with increasing temperature. Both kinetic and thermodynamic results showed that in the presence of 4DMAP, the forward and reverse reactions are second and first order, respectively. The existence of side reactions, reactivity of two styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers of different MA contents as well as two aliphatic alcohols of different lengths are also addressed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Formulation,Stability, and Computation of Traffic Network Equilibria as Projected Dynamical Systems

In this paper, we present a unified treatment and analysis of a dynamic traffic network model with elastic demands formulated and studied as a projected dynamical system. We propose a travel route choice adjustment process that satisfies the projected dynamical system. Under certain conditions, stability and asymptotical stability of the equilibrium patterns are then derived. Finally, two discrete-time algorithms, the Euler method and the Heun method, are proposed for the computation of the solutions, and convergence results established. The convergence results depend crucially on stability analysis. The performance of the algorithms is then illustrated on several transportation networks.     

A Survey on Explicit Representation Formulae for Fundamental Solutions of Linear Partial Differential Operators

In the present article, we aim at treating the existence of fundamental solutions of linear partial differential operators with constant coefficients from the viewpoint of setting up explicit formulae yielding fundamental solutions.     

多重积分Nash平衡点的Lipschitz估计

设F（p，q）和G（p，q）在无穷远点的邻域内是分别关于p和q的近似凸函数，且具有二次增长．考虑由F和G构成的一对定义在Soblev空间中的泛函．本文利用blowup技巧，证明了这样一对泛函的Nash平衡点实际上是Lipschitz连续的．     

A Note on Geometric Structures of Linear Ordered Orthogonal Arrays and (T,M,S)-Nets of Low Strength

The equivalent geometrical configurations of linear ordered orthogonal arrays are determined when their strengths are 3 and 4. Existence of such geometrical configurations is investigated. They are also useful in the study of (T, M, S)-nets.     

Comparison of Thermodynamic Characteristics of a Potential Well under Quantum and Classical Approaches

The conjecture according to which the mean energy of an equilibrium system in quantum theory exceeds the mean energy of the corresponding classical system is considered. It is rigorously proved that the conjecture holds for the potential well. The estimates for the mean energy of the potential well at high and low temperatures are of special interest.     

Balance constraints reduction of large-scale linear programming problems

This paper describes a method and the corresponding algorithms for simplification of large-scale linear programming models. It consists of the elimination of the balance constraints (i.e. constraints with zero RHS term). The idea is to apply some linear transformations to the original problem in order to nullify the balance constraints. These transformations are able to simultaneously eliminate more balance rows. The core of this contribution is the introduction of the reduction matrix and the associated theorems on the equivalent linear programs (original and reduced). The numerical experiments with this method of simplification proved this approach to be beneficial for a large class of LP problems.This research work was done while the first author was at Duisburg University, Mess-, Steuer und Regelungstechnik, Germany, under the greatly appreciated financial assistance given by the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation.     

Extended convergence results for the method of multipliers for nonstrictly binding inequality constraints

In this paper, we extend the classical convergence and rate of convergence results for the method of multipliers for equality constrained problems to general inequality constrained problems, without assuming the strict complementarity hypothesis at the local optimal solution. Instead, we consider an alternative second-order sufficient condition for a strict local minimum, which coincides with the standard one in the case of strict complementary slackness. As a consequence, new stopping rules are derived in order to guarantee a local linear rate of convergence for the method, even if the current Lagrangian is only asymptotically minimized in this more general setting. These extended results allow us to broaden the scope of applicability of the method of multipliers, in order to cover all those problems admitting loosely binding constraints at some optimal solution. This fact is not meaningless, since in practice this kind of problem seems to be more the rule rather than the exception.In proving the different results, we follow the classical primaldual approach to the method of multipliers, considering the approximate minimizers for the original augmented Lagrangian as the exact solutions for some adequate approximate augmented Lagrangian. In particular, we prove a general uniform continuity property concerning both their primal and their dual optimal solution set maps, a property that could be useful beyond the scope of this paper. This approach leads to very simple proofs of the preliminary results and to a straight-forward proof of the main results.The author gratefully acknowledges the referees for their helpful comments and remarks. This research was supported by FONDECYT (Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Technológico de Chile).